Biking India's Nubra Valley

We ride a total of 374 km over eight cycling days. This tour has been designed to be as safe and responsible as possible for the high-altitude conditions of India’s Himalayan region. For this reason, after the initial night in New Delhi, we spend Days 2 to 6 in and around Leh to acclimatise to the reduced oxygen levels at 3,500 metres above sea level. This allows us to become accustomed to cycling before we start our ascent to even higher elevations from Day 7 onwards. Crossing the Wari La and Khardung La passes are cycling highlights you will remember for years to come. We have vehicle transfers before and/or after our rides on half of the cycling days, though we ride hotel-to-hotel on the main stage from Leh to Nubra (Days 7 to 10).

The trip is fully supported, and your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way.

Suitability: A strong baseline of cardiovascular fitness is essential for cycling at high altitudes. While distances aren’t overly long — with the shortest ride being 28 km on Day 3 and the longest at 68 km on Day 9 — your heart and lungs will be working considerably harder in the Himalayas. The climbs are consistent throughout, but we build our strength before tackling the major passes on Days 8 and 12. Gradients are typically mild and rarely reach double digits, with some exceptions, of course. Navigating deteriorated roads requires confident bike-handling skills but does not involve technical off-road manoeuvring; however, caution on the descents is vital. There are two rest days factored into the tour: one on Day 6 following our acclimatisation stage, and another on Day 11 to prepare for our final ride across the Khardung La Pass. A support vehicle is available at all times to provide refuge for weary riders.

Biking Conditions: The road surfaces are predominantly paved; however, given the extreme high-altitude environment, riders should expect sections where the road has disintegrated due to snowmelt, frost heave, or landslides. These patches may be potholed, gravelled, or even water-splashed. While the Border Roads Organisation (the Indian Army’s engineering wing) works tirelessly to maintain these roads, the landscape is in constant flux. Weather in Ladakh is highly unpredictable. Daytime temperatures are typically around 20°C, but the sun is exceptionally strong and requires high-factor protection. On the passes, temperatures can drop to near 0°C very quickly. Strong winds are common, and wind-chill is a significant factor on all descents. You must bring a versatile layering system to manage these rapid temperature shifts. Rainfall is rare, but it can happen. We generally ride rain or shine, but at the guide’s discretion, or depending on your comfort level, modifications to the planned route can be made. It’s all part of the adventure!

Accommodations: The tour begins and ends in supreme comfort at a classic 4-star heritage hotel in New Delhi. In Leh (Days 2, 3, 6, and 12), Alchi, and Nubra, we stay in traditional Ladakhi hotels featuring comfortable rooms, en-suite bathrooms, and a warm, hospitable atmosphere. For three nights of the tour — when we are at our most remote in Sakti, Tangyar, and Khardung — we will stay in local homestays or high-quality tents. This arrangement depends on the group size, as these authentic village homestays have a limited number of rooms.

A Note on Flights to & from Leh: The cost of the return flight from New Delhi to Leh is not included in the tour price due to significant fare fluctuations. Once the group is confirmed, we will advise you on the specific flights to book: from Delhi on Day 2 and from Leh on Day 13. Please note that Leh airport only permits morning arrivals and departures due to afternoon mountain winds; consequently, you should expect early morning departures on both flight days.

Bikes

Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a mountain, gravel, or hybrid bike in good mechanical order.

We also have E-Bikes available for hire, but they are limited in number & size - please send an email to us to check on availability.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

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